Cotton-harvesting machine.



J. F. APPLEBY.

COTTON HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED 22.13, 1906.

Patented July 15, 1913.

4 SHEETSSHEET l.

warmed, J%/

J. F. APPLEBY.

00mm HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1806.

Patented July 15, 1913.

4 SHEET8SHEET 2.

J. F. APPLEBY.

COTTON HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1906.

Patented July 15, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

COTTON HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED APRJS, 190s.

vAPPLEBY.

Patented July 15, 1913.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4f UNITED SKATES PATENT @hi litllit JOHN F. APPLEBY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 DIXIE COTTON PICKER 00., 0F RED-FIELD, SOUTH DAKOTA, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA,

Specification of Letters Patent.

hi CQP-ECOTTON-HARVESTING MACHINE.

Patented July is, :i z

Original application filed January 8, 1906', Serial No. 295,100. Divided and this application filed April 13-,

lle it known that I, Join: F. Arrnnnv, a citizen of the l'nited States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented a certain new and useful lmproven'ieut in Cotton-Harvesting h'lachines, being a division of my application Serial No. 295,100, filed January 8, 1906. Patent No. 828.264, Aug. 7, 1906, of which the following a full, clear, concise, and exact hrsrription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification.

My invention relates to cotton picking or harvesting; machines, the present application being a division of my copending application Serial No. 295100, filed Jan. 8, 1906, Patent NoQSQSfllil, Aug. T, 1906.

.()ne feature of my-invention resides in providing a packing device operated by mechanism of the harvester, that is operated by powersecured from the wheels or running gear, which packingmechanism serves to compress the cotton into a. smaller spacethan it naturally tends to occupy, so that the receptacle for receiving the cotton may contain more cotton than was hitherto possible, without the addition of a special engine for compressing the cotton.

Vhile the preferred form of packing device that I employ is operated by the meeh anism of the harvester. the packing device is of such a nature that 'I do not wish to be limited in all embodiments of the invention to this method of etleeting its operation.

In the embodiment of the invention herein set forth, the cotton is cast directly into the receptacle, such as a basket, without the aid of a conveyor, but I do not wish to be limited to this arrangement in all embodiments of the invention. 'Where separable receptacles, such lniskots,'are employed for receiving the cotton, the packing device is adapted to permit of the removal and substitution of the baskets, and in order that the o )erator oi the machine may know when a basket has become sufficiently loaded with cotton, an alarm device, operated only when the cotton has been accumulated to a predetermined extent, isemployed, so that notice is given when the filled cotton receptacle may be removed and an empty receptacle substituted therefor.

The packing device constructed in accord- Serial No. sneer.

ance with the preferred embodiment to me invention includes a spiral, desirably at more. than one turn, say a turn and a te'r, which spiral is rotated so that it act as a screw to force the cotton downward as it is received,- and as the densitv and quantity of the-cotton inereas i movement of the spiral permitmd, the shaft upon which the spiral is mounted and which rotates the spiral has deirably a flexible connection with a driving .lei'nent. When this s )iral has been elevated to a predetermined imit, the shaft-or some other portion of the packin device moving with the spiral, effects t 1e operation of the alarm, which alarm is desirably in the Firm of a single stroke bell.

, Another feature of my invention resides in the provision of an improved clutching device whereby the packing device and the balance of the mechanism driven by the wheels of the machine are removed from d 'iving connection withthe wheels, and as the packing device is driven by gearing or. a driving element that is not in tandem with the other driving and driven elements of the machine but is rather driven by bevel gearvention, the clutching mechanism lllk 'lug' jp bevel gear that is splined upon a driving shaft and provided for engagement will a companion bevel. near "that. operatcsgthe packing spiral and a. clutch collar also splined upon said dri ing shaft, a spring being" interposed between the first aforesaid bevel gear and the clutch collar to't'eree the same apart and permit the engagement thereof with their companions, and a manually operated handle in connection with the first aforesaid bevel gear and the splined, collar, which when manipulated in one di rection, will force the nioveu'ient cl said collar and the said first bevel gear toward each other, to break their driving connections, and which liaiulm when moved in the reverse direction, v" rmit the spring to spread the said bcv r and clutch collar apart to permit the lame to 'ell'ect driving connection.

I will explain my intention snore fully by. reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating one of the cmbolgiments thereof, the embodiment illustrated; ingithat which is preferred. 3 1

.In the drawings-Figure 1 is a plan View illustrating so much of the mechanism as is necessaryto an understanding of the invention. Fig. 2 is a View from the front of part of the .mechanism entering into the machine. Fig. 3'is a view in pl 11 of. a part ofthe mechanism. Fig. 4'is a engitudinal section in elevation illustrating cer-. tain parts of the machine. Fig. 5 is a View partially section illustrating the'packing mech hiism. 1 ,Fig. 6 is adetail view of the alarm mechanism. Fig. 7 is a view illustrating the 1 clutching mechanism.

Like parts are indicated by'similar characters of reference throughout the difi'erent figures I.

The picking, stripping and cleaning mech-, anism hereinafter to be particularly specitied, is mounted within casing or housing 1 Links 13 are authored 1, that desirably has a porch 2 upon which a basket 3 that is to receive the picked cotton, is pin it shirt or --gatherer formed in two i i ti is provided at the base of the casing for the purpose of laterally gathering the cotton bushes. to be' within range of the picking mechanism tdbe-described. An apron 7 is mounted sit-tho; of the machine a sufiicient distance-allots the bottom edges ozfdheskirt or gatherer -11) to depress the bushes to a uniform level, and a substantially horizontal grate 8, composed of longitudinally-disposed bars, is continued from the lower margin of the apron "Z reai wardly, so that the level to which the bushes have been depressed may be maintained during the picking operation. A single pair of tractipn-whecls '9 9- is desirably only employed, upon which the casing mounted in a manner to be hereinafter set forth. M y I In oi der that the casing, together with the grate 8,-the picking mechanism, and other" associate parts, may be raised and lowered, I preferably employ the mechanismcnow .tO be described. The'wheels 9 9 areniountpd upon a U-shaped axle 10, the U of thea'xle being inverted. Guides 11 11 are fixed with respect to the side Walls 12 12 of the-casing By vertical movement of these guides upon the vertical parts of the llshapcd a xle the a n u '1 casing and the mechanism carrledthereby are elevatcd or lowered.

to tlih hssinpgfand terminate at their free/ends in that pass through arms that are rigidly se- M3013 who may remain upon his seat, may have little difficulty inraising or lowering the casing. The extent to which the springs.

cured to a shaft 15, the shaft being journaled in bearings 16, that are mounted upon 2i cross-girder 17 stationary with respect to the axle. A hand lever 18 is rigidly secured to the shaft 15, desirably at one. end of said shaft, this hand leyer carrying a locking detent 19, a detent rod'20, and a grip 21, which may be operated to actuate the rod 20 to release the locking detent 19 from the locking (quadrantor racli 22, this releasing action b eing effected aghinst the force of a spring 23 provided normally to hold the detent and quadrant in looking relatiom-"By rotating athelevenlfi, the-'linksd' g may be elevated and lowered to'efie'ct the corresponding elevation -or depression fimgcasiag. In order that physical efiort may be reduced in raising and lowering the casing, I desirably provide a spring mechanism that exerts a lifting action when theflockiug detcnt 19 is disengaged from vthe quadrant 22. This spring mechauism desirably includes two oppositely Wound helices 2 1- of strong steel rod, which thus constitute coiled springs, one coiled spring terminating in a hook 25 while the at one end in an eye, by which said rod is engaged with the hook 25, the other end of the rod 27 having threaded thereupon an adjusting nut, the threaded end of the rod .27. passing through the eye 26, the nut serving to adjust the space between the portions 25 26. The coiled springs arc wound about cores28 that are carried by the girder 17 and each coiled spring hasan outwardly extending book 29 that is connected with a link 20' attached at its lower end to the ass 1 It will be seen that when the elements 19 22- are separated,- that the casing is carried by the coiled springs 24 by reason of the f engagement of the portions 29v of said springs with the links 20-, so that the oper- 24 counter-act the weight of the casing is determined by the adjustment e'fiected by the adjusting device 27. l v

The picking, stripping and cleaning mechanismjis operated from a main shaft 30 that is driven by the sprocket-gears 31 located at its-cuter ends and rotated by the sprocketchains Kai-operated by the sprocket-wheels 33., there being one such sprocket-wheel 38 directly coupled and coaxial vwith each tract-ion-wheelv 1 In order that the single in driven connection with ,both tractiom,

the tractionwheels to move faster than the other, as in making turns, the said shaft 30. is made in sections united by a differential gear 34: l

q v companion coiled spring terminates in an eye 26. A tension adjusting rod 27 terminates shaft lldmay be wheels and at the same time "permit one of! The sprocket-wheel A third sprocket-wheel 85 may constitute the frame that carries the gears 36 that form component parts of the gearing 34 in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art, for it is by such an arrangement that said sprocket-wheel 35 maybe rotated through the agency of both sections of the shaft 30, Whether said sections are rotating at the same or different speeds.

35 drives a sprocketchain 3?, that inv turn rotates a sprocketgear 38, which directly causes the operation of the picking, stripping and cleaning mechanism, will be described.

5 As hitherto stated, the sprocket-wheel 3S the direct cause of the operation of the pickers, strippers and cleaners, the shaft 39 directly operating the picking mechanism, as will be specified,

upon said shaft 39 operating the sprocketchain 41, that inturn rotates the sprocketgear 45 mounted upon a shaft d3, upon which shaft are fixed. the strippers 44. W' here cleaners are employed, the shaft 43 may have mounted thereon a sprocket-wheel 42, that operates the sprocket-chain 46, which sprocketphain causes the rotation of a sprocket-wheel 47 fixed upon a shaft 48, upon which shaft are also fixed cleaning elements 49 in the form of wheels, one for each stripping-cylinder slot. The cotton that is picked and cleaned is passed through an "opening 50 into the basket below the opening. The apron 50 holds the cotton in the path of the packer.

The cotton when it reaches a suitable height in the basket, is packed by the packing spiral 52 which is rotated by a shaft 53 that is flexibly coupled by the flexible joint 54; with a sleeve 55, movable back and forth upon and rotating with a shaft 56, that carries a bevel-gear 57 adapted to mesh with t e bevelgear 58 splined with the driving shitft 30. The shaft 53 works within a sleeve 59 that is anchored and held at 0 ()0 upon the porch 'l, said shaftbeing longitudinally movable in said sleeve 59 so that the packing spiral may be thrust upward as the cotton within the basket is being packed, the packing spiral thereby automatically accommodating itself to the changing level of the cotton. lVhen suilicient cotton has been packed within the basket, the packing spiral 52 is raised by the gathered cotton to such an extent that the collar 61 fast upon the shaft 53, engages the cam end 62 of the bell clapper 33 to cause the said clapper to strike-the gong G4 The operator (the driver) of the mach" 1 will then have his attention called to that a basket'has been filled, whereu the filled basket may be removed and a fresh basket substituted. By providing the sleeve and shaft cons6 struction 55 56 and the flexible joint 54, it is the sprocket-gear d0 obvious that the angular relations of the shafts 56 may be changed according to the quantity ofcotton contained in the basket, and, in order that the shaft 56 may acconnnodate itself to this operation, it is provided with a hub extension 65, which is capable of rotation about the shaft 30 as the shaft 56 is raised and'lowered.

It will be seen that the packing spiral is operated by the shaft 30,. and therefore by the vehicle wheels of the machine.

I do not deem it necessary herein to specifically describe the construction and operation of the picking mechanism, stripping mechanism and the cleaning mechanism, as 0 such mechanism is preferably that disclosed in my aforesaid Patent 798,651, dated Sept.

, Whenever it is desired to stop the operation of the packing mechanism, picking, 35 stripping and cleaning mechanism, desirably employ a clutch mechanism (illustrated very clearly'in Fig. 7). The shaft 30 is provided. with. splines 66 67, which force the rotation of the clutch collar 68 and the on bevel-pinion 58. The clutch collar 68, when in its outermost position, engages a companion clutch element 69 that determines the operation of themechanism carried by the asing. The bevel gear 58, when thrust to an outr position, engages the bevel-gear 5-7, whereby the operation of the packing device may be effected. A spring 70, when not counteracted, maintains the elements 58 68 in their outermost position by exerting a spreading action between said elements. In order that the elements 68 58 may be moved toward each other, I employ two links 71 72 and a handle 73, to which said links are pivoted at different places, said handle, when in the position shown in Fig. 7, drawing the elements 58 68 toward each other against the action of the spring 70. lV hen the handle 73 is reversedin position, as shown in thrust'the elements 58 68 apart for the purpose specified. In order that neither element 58 (58 may be moved too far when the handle 73 is being placed in the position shown in Fig. 7, and in order that the dis- 1 15 engagement of both of said elements from their companions, may be insured, I provide lugs 74 75 that limit the inward movement of said elements.

As described in my original application 0 295,100, filed January 8, 1906, I preferably place a coating of oil or other suitable material upon the fingers while they are being bodily moved and also while they are not rotating about their individual axes, to 125 which end I employ an oil receptacle 76 that ismounted upon the inner faces of the side walls of the easing, into which receptacle wicking 81 projects. This wiclc mg is slit in the planes of movement of 130 I Fig. l, the spring 70 acts to i There are certain features disclosed in My present application that are claimed in. my

divisional application Serial No. M1592,

filed April 13, 1906, this latter application being also a division ofmy original application Serial No. 295,100, filed January 8, 1906. .i

From the foregoing descolption of the accompan yins drawings, it .will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have de vised a radical departure in the art of cotton picking machines, inasmuch as by means of the machine of my invention the cotton which hitherto returned to the picking mechanism of prior machines, to interfere with-the operation of the picking mechanism, is removed from the point of discharge of the picking mcchaniszmin order to preventthe return of the cotton to the picking mechanism the packing mechanism of my invention nbtfonly serving, to thus remove the cotton from thepoint of discharge Where it hitherto accumulated and from which point it was hitherto forced back into the picking mechanism, but also to pack the cotton so that one basket or receptacle may be very Well filled with the cotton before it is removed and replaced,

thereby better adapting the machine to its purpose.

, I,operate"thepecliing mechanism by the runningCgedrof-the cotton harvester which also operates the pick'hig mechanism, so that there'is a "definite ratio of operation of the picking sndpacking mechanisms, whereby the faster the cotton is'placcd by the picking mechanism at thepoint of discharge,

the faster itiis removed, so that the picking mechanism cannot. place the cotton at a suchpoint of discharge.

point of discharge fasber than thepacking mechzynism can teltethe cotton away from If the running' gear did not operateboth the picking and packing mechanisms, it is very conceivable thstgg'greet care must be taken to preserve thoflproper ratios "of speed of the picking eavers and packing mechanisms,- the necessity of which core is obviated by causing the picking and packing mechanisms "to he opereted by the same running gear. As a matter offset, nomechcnisrn is conceivable which would maintain the proper ratios of the speed of operation of the packing and picking mechanisms other than the running gear when employed toroperate both such mechanisms. e

While 1 have herein shown and described thepreferred embodiment of my invention, 1 do not Wish to be limited to theprecise construction shown, as changes may readily be made therein Without departing from the spirit of the inventipn, but,

Having thus descri f my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Lettors-Patent: 4

1. A cotton harvesting machine includinc picking mechanism operated by the run ning gen of the machine, a receptacle, niechanrsi-n tor transferring the picked cotton 0 sold receptacle, .and a packing spiral for pecking the cotton intothe receptacle, the packing spiral serving both to remove the cotton to prevent its return to the picking' mechanism and thereafter to compress the cotton. fil

2. A cotton harvesting-machine includpicking mechanism, a receptacle, mechanism for-transferring the picked cotton to said receptacle, and e packing spiral for.

packing the cotton into the receptacle, the packing spiral servings both 'to remove the cotton to prevent its return to the picking mechanism and thereafter to compress the cotton.

3 A cotton harvesting machine includ-' ing picking mechanism, o receptacle, mechanism for'transferring'the picked cotton to said receptacle, e packing spiral for packing the cotton into the receptacle, and mechanism whereby seid pecking spiral is operated by the running gear of the machine, the packing spiral serving both to remove the cotton to prevent its returntti, the picking mechanism and thereafter compress the cotton. v

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 13th day of March A. D, 195%.

JUHN F. .arrrinier' Wi tncsses G. L. CBAGG, VJALDMB. S'ronn; 

